This fee is not collected directly from consumers. Instead it is assessed on the owners of underground storage tanks. The rate is 1.1 cents a gallon.

USTIF is overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance. A spokesperson for the department says that the USTIF fee is likely passed on by many gasoline retailers to consumers, but the department does not have hard numbers on exactly how many do.

The purpose of the fee is to fund the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund. Money in that fund is used to clean up underground tank spills and protect the soil and water table from potential pollution.